FOXNews.com – Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer Says
Filed under: Comic Book News, Commentary, Disney, Marvel Comics, News, Politics
I hate to give Fox News any press, but I had to comment about this.
First I was shocked that those Tea Party people can actually read, let alone read comics. Someone had to point it out to them i bet. Second, I have something to say to the Tea Party group. Grow up and get the fuck over yourselves! If something as little as this hits a nerve, maybe you should take a long hard look at what you are doing and how you are doing it.
To Marvel: SHAME on you for falling under this kind of pressure from a bunch of lunatics. Do you think these people are really going to hurt your bottom line? Or did the Mouse force you to do it?
FOXNews.com – Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer Says
Tea Party Jab to Be Zapped From Captain America Comic, Writer SaysBy Joshua Rhett Miller
– FOXNews.com
A “tea bag” reference in a recent Captain America comic book that has angered the Tea Party movement will be removed by Marvel Comics in future editions, the story’s writer told FoxNews.com.
Writer Ed Brubaker told FoxNews.com that Marvel Comics will remove a “tea bag” reference from future editions of Captain America No. 602.
A “tea bag” reference in a recent Captain America comic book that has angered the Tea Party movement will be removed by Marvel Comics in future editions, the story’s writer told FoxNews.com.
In issue No. 602 of Captain America, “Two Americas, Part One,” the title hero and The Falcon, a black superhero from New York City, stumble upon a protest rally in Boise, Idaho. They see scores of protesters carrying signs that say “Stop the Socialists!” and “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!”
Captain America says the protest appears to be an “anti-tax thing,” and The Falcon jokes that he likely would not be welcomed into the crowd of “angry white folks.”
Ed Brubaker, who wrote the story, told FoxNews.com he did not write the “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!” sign shown in the edition, insisting that the words were added by someone in “lettering or production” just before being shipped to the printer. It will be changed in subsequent editions, he said.
“I don’t know who did it, probably someone who thought it was funny,” Brubaker wrote in an e-mail. “I didn’t think so, personally. That’s the sign being changed to something more generic for the trade reprint, because I and my editor were both shocked to see it.”
But the change may come too late to placate a chorus of critics who noticed the apparent jab at the Tea Party movement and who accused Marvel of making supervillains out of patriotic Americans.
Michael Johns, a board member of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, said he felt the “juvenile” dig will ultimately do more damage to Marvel’s brand than to the Tea Party movement. He also disputed the insinuation that the growing movement lacks diversity.
“The Tea Party movement has been very reflective of broad concerns of all Americans,” Johns said. “Membership is across ethnic, religious and even political lines.”
Johns accused Brubaker of “blame-shifting” and questioned why an apology or retraction hadn’t been issued as soon as the writer or Marvel executives noticed the politically charged signs.
Brubaker, meanwhile, has made no secret of his political leanings.
He said he wrote the script “four or five” months ago, which was shortly before he posted critical messages on his Twitter account regarding former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former President George W. Bush.
“Memo to Bachman and the rest of the tea crowd — We had a revolution already, it’s called an election,” Brubaker tweeted on Nov. 5.
Nine days later, he wrote: “What did we learn this week? That Sarah Palin is a lying idiot. Hey, welcome to 2008 again.”
But Brubaker was adamant that he did not intend to imply that the group of protesters in the comic book were Tea Partiers.
“I was simply using them to show the mood in the country in various places outside Captain America and the Falcon’s usual home, New York City,” he wrote. “It’s very similar to other things we’ve done in the comic, showing leftwing protest crowds back during the election season in 2008.”
A spokeswoman for Marvel Comics did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington, said the protest scene in the comic book is merely the latest attempt in a “systematic effort” to chastise the grassroots Tea Party movement.
“I was perplexed by this,” London said. “It seems to me there was a clear effort on someone’s part to undermine the Tea Party movement.”
London said the comic strip insinuates the protesters are “loonies,” and he questioned The Falcon’s reference to race.
“It involves sensitivities,” London said. “There’s no reason for something like that to be included.”
Yet Another First Gay Superhero | Bleeding Cool Comic News & Rumors
Yet Another First Gay Superhero | Bleeding Cool Comic News & Rumors
Yet Another First Gay Superhero
Submitted by Rich Johnston on November 18, 2009 – 5:48 am (22) commentsKrazyJanuary 1992
Chicago Sun-Times: The comic book, long a purveyor of childhood fantasies, has taken a step closer to the adult world as one prominent “superhero” acknowledges he is gay.
The superhero is Northstar, billed in Marvel Comics’ “Alpha Flight” as “Canada’s Most Eligible Bachelor,” and he comes out of the closet in the current issue to help fight AIDS.
“I am gay!” Northstar shouts…
February 2000
The Mirror: TWO Scottish cartoonists have created the worlds first homosexual superheroes. Apollo and Midnighter, a pair of lycra-clad gay…
December 2002
The Independent:
Coming (out) soon: the world’s first gay superhero. The Rawhide Kid, killed off by Marvel Comics in 1979, is back from the dead. And how.January 2009
Daily Telegraph: It was only a matter of time before we had our first gay superhero. And if there is one man who can make him a success it is Stan Lee…
February 2009
Daily Telegraph: DC Comics have unveiled their first openly gay superhero – a sapphic socialite called Batwoman…
November 2009
The Sun: World’s first gay superheroes…
For the record, for the clip files, for lazy journalists (and will amend for the bits I get wrong or miss out)…
The first closet gay comic strip character was Krazy Kat in 1916, the first transvestite hero comics character was Madame Fatal in 1940, the first out gay hero comics character was Harry Chess in That Man From A.U.N.T.I.E in 1964, the first lesbian comics character was Sandy, Wimmen’s Comix 1971.
The first openly gay superhero was Gay Guy, created by John Byrne, for Candian college newspaper strip The Emery Weal, 1971.
The first mainstream gay superhero character was Northstar of Alpha Flight – who first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 in 1979, but creator John Byrne decided he is gay for Alpha Flight #1. 1983. The character Northstar outs himself in an Alpha Flight story written by Scott Lobdell in 1992.
The first gay superhero with his own book was Enigma by Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo, initially polanned for Disney/Touchmark but picked up by Vertigo in 1993.
The first superhero team in comics was Joan Hilty’s Luna Legion appearing in Oh! magazine in 1992, and Pride High was the first gay superhero team comic book, published in 2007.
The first gay superhero couple was Apollo and Midnighter, first appearing naked in bed together in Stormwatch by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, in 1998, adding in comments later when the characters appeared in their The Authority comic.
Yes, Apollo and Midnighter are, in the debased English parlance, up each other. So what?
but they would only be properly publically outed by Mark Millar in The Authority in 1992. At the end of his run on the book, they were married on the page by Ellen DeGeneres. Midnighter wore white.
And there is no news as to whether the owners of the Spandex TM trademark will seek to defend it, after the considerable publicity given the current title!
Turner Newsroom: TNT Picks Up Acclaimed Drama SOUTHLAND
WE DID IT!!!
Turner Newsroom: TNT Picks Up Acclaimed Drama SOUTHLAND
Release Date: 11/2/2009
TNT Picks Up Acclaimed Drama SOUTHLANDTNT has picked up the critically acclaimed series SOUTHLAND, closing a deal with Warner Bros. Television that will bring the drama from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing) to the network in January. TNT has obtained exclusive rights to air all six episodes that have been shot for the second season, as well as the seven episodes from the series’ first season. SOUTHLAND will air on TNT Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning with the first episode of the series on Jan. 12.
“This is a great win for fans of SOUTHLAND and a perfect opportunity to introduce the series to new viewers,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. “It’s also another outstanding example of how TNT has established itself as the go-to place for the best dramas on television.”
“We are extremely pleased that TNT has acquired all 13 episodes of SOUTHLAND, giving devoted fans the opportunity to watch a show that they passionately support,” said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television.
“We’re delighted that TNT has stepped forward to pick up SOUTHLAND. We are all extremely proud of the show,” Wells said.
SOUTHLAND premiered on NBC in April to rave reviews. The series was called “tough-minded [and] suspenseful” by The New York Times, which also said, “SOUTHLAND is commendably stinting and cold, a series that doesn’t aim to please, and is all the more pleasurable for it.” The Hollywood Reporter called SOUTHLAND “exciting, smart, realistic and brilliant,” while Daily Variety said, “[John] Wells and company have delivered a cop drama with its own racing pulse. The crisp execution … has a decidedly elite cable feel.
In SOUTHLAND, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz – A River Runs Through It) is a veteran cop assigned to train young rookie Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie – The O.C.). Cooper attacks his job with a no-nonsense firmness that sometimes leaves Sherman wondering if he’s really cut out to be a cop.
The series also follows Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King – Ray, Jerry Maguire), who spends her off-work hours serving as her mother’s primary caregiver. Her partner, Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott – Boiler Room), is a father struggling with an unhappy marriage. Detective Daniel “Sal” Salinger (Michael McGrady – The Thin Red Line) oversees a unit of gang detectives, including Nate Moretta (Kevin Alejandro – Drive, Ugly Betty) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy – Alpha Dog). And patrol officer Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis – Crossing Jordan) is a single mom determined to make her mark as the first woman in the SWAT unit.
SOUTHLAND is from John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Created by Emmy winner Ann Biderman (NYPD Blue, Public Enemies), the series is executive-produced by Biderman, Emmy winner Chris Chulack (ER, Third Watch) and Wells. Chulack is also a primary director of the series.
Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) is one of the entertainment industry’s most respected providers of original content, producing award-winning drama and comedy series for both broadcast network television and cable. For the 2009-2010 television season, WBTV is producing more than 25 primetime series, with at least one show on each of the five broadcast networks. New programs include the one-hour drama The Vampire Diaries, the #1 show on The CW; one-hour shows Human Target and Past Life for Fox; the hourlong V, Eastwick and The Forgotten, as well as half-hour comedies The Middle and Hank for ABC; and an untitled medical drama from Jerry Bruckheimer Television for midseason on CBS, among others. Continuing programs include TV’s #1 comedy among households and total viewers in Two and a Half Men, TV’s #1 comedy among adults 18-49 in The Big Bang Theory, the #1 new program of 2008-2009 among households and total viewers in The Mentalist, the Julia Louis-Dreyfus-starring comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine and veteran drama Cold Case for CBS; the #1 new program of 2008-2009 among adults 18-49 in Fringe for Fox; Chuck for NBC; and Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville and Supernatural for The CW. WBTV also produces The Closer for TNT and Nip/Tuck for FX.
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, CSI: NY and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Contact(s):
Susan Ievoli
(212) 275-8016
New York Eileen Quast
(310) 788-6797
Burbank Heather Sautter
(404) 885-0746
Atlanta
‘Southland’ cancelled: Can it still survive? Yes! | EW.com
‘Southland’ cancelled: Can it still survive? Yes! | EW.com
‘Southland’ cancelled: Can it still survive? Yes!
by Ken Tucker
Categories: Cancellations, Fall TV 2009, News, Talk Shows, Televisionsouthland_l
As EW reported last night, Southland has been canceled by NBC. A combination of so-so ratings and, more significantly, the lack of the 10 p.m. time-slot a grown-up cop drama a series such as Southland requires are undoubtedly the chief reasons.
This is a cryin’ shame. Southland had all the makings of what used to be considered a classic NBC show: Good serialized stories, a fine ensemble cast, and that comfy workplace-drama feel that ER and Homicide: Life On The Street used to have.
Oh, but NBC doesn’t care that Southland’s Regina King was probably well on her way to an Emmy nomination if her cop character had remained as strong as it did last season, or that Ben McKenzie had found a fine post-O.C. role to grow into. Naw, the network just wants a couple million people to yuk it up while Jay Leno is stuck in that hour, making jokes with Gerard Butler about being naked in the latter’s film roles, as Leno did last night.
Give us all a break. Where can producer John Wells and creator Ann Biderman take Southland? I wouldn’t trust its chances on the already-crammed ABC, CBS, and Fox networks. It won’t fit on pay-cable — not edgy enough. Yet it’s too edgy for a basic-cable channel such as USA. But why not TNT? If it’s Saving Grace, why can’t it save Southland?
Are you irritated that Southland was cancelled? What NBC show will get the axe next? Maybe they’ll decide that one of the Law and Orders isn’t pulling in enough viewers at 8 or 9 p.m., when it should be on at 10 anyway?
Beyond that, where do you think a wounded Southland could resurface, and thrive, on TV?
‘Southland’ star on show’s axing: ‘I’m pissed off’ | Ausiello | EW.com
This is my favorite actor on the show, and he plays my favorite character as well.
‘Southland’ star on show’s axing: ‘I’m pissed off’ | Ausiello | EW.com
Southland’ star on show’s axing: ‘I’m pissed off’
by Michael Ausiello
Categories: News, SouthlandMichael-Cudlitz-Southland_lStill scratching your head over NBC’s bizarre decision to renew Southland only to cancel it five months later before a single season 2 episode had aired? You’re not alone. Michael Cudlitz, who plays gay officer John Cooper on the acclaimed drama, is still reeling from the news. In this exclusive Q&A, the actor explains why he’s “pissed off,” weighs in on the show’s chances of finding a new home, and offers a message to shell-shocked fans.
When did you find out?
MICHAEL CUDLITZ: [Exec producers] Ann Biderman and Christopher Chulack came to the set yesterday and announced it to the cast and crew.What was your reaction? Did you see it coming?
CUDLITZ: In retrospect, I saw it coming. We were two weeks away from airing and [the cancellation news] has created more press for the show than NBC has put into it on its own. They ran the first [Southland] ad — a 30-second spot — last Friday, and that’s the only one that they ran. That’s not a relaunch. When you have a network that nobody’s watching, it doesn’t benefit you to only advertise on your network.What explanation were you given?
CUDLITZ: We were given the same statement that everyone got. [NBC] said they watched the first [four] episodes and determined that they were too dark. I don’t even know where to go with that. They were the scripts that [NBC] approved for a show that they picked up — a show they themselves advertised as an authentic, raw, and gritty look at the Los Angeles Police Department. So I don’t know what they thought they were getting… There’s something else going on I’m sure. We had a cast and crew screening on Tuesday for the season 2 premiere, and it was phenomenal. It was better than any of the episodes we have aired to date. It was fantastic.Do you have a theory as to what else might be going on?
CUDLITZ: I really don’t. What audience are they afraid of pissing off? They don’t have an audience… There’s some speculation that they’re trying to cut costs because they’re trying to sell the network, but I don’t know. The thing that strikes me as very bizarre is that they have [six episodes] in the can, they don’t have anything on right now that is doing well, and our show is good. Why would you not put it on? So something else must be going on.You’re shooting episode six now, right?
CUDLITZ: Yes. Today is our third day shooting episode 6. We will finish shooting this episode next week.Exec producer John Wells said he’s trying to find a new home for the show. Do you hold out any hope for that?
CUDLITZ: I do because we have episodes that have never aired that are pretty fantastic. And if it moves somewhere else, it could become the show that it should have been initially — which is even darker and grittier.What happens if no one picks up the show by next week? Will production shut down after you’re done with episode six?
CUDLITZ: If nothing happens in the next week we will shut down. I imagine if there’s any movement in the next week, then Warner Bros. could step up and foot the bill in the interim while they hammer out a deal.Are you angry?
CUDLITZ: I’m pissed. I’ve said it on my Twitter account. I’m pissed off. We had all the pre-season stuff, all the dinners and parties. They told us they loved and believed in the show. They said the [delay] would be good for us. On paper it all made sense so I was willing to believe I was being told the truth… I don’t just walk in one day and go, “Eh, I’m not going to act today. I know I told you I was going to act, but I’m not going to do my thing.” But I guess because they own the ball and the ballpark they get to do that. It’s kind of cheap.Anything fans can do?
CUDLITZ: They can express their annoyance. Networks are in this to make money, and it’s obviously proven by this decision. Because if they cared about the quality and the art then they would keep the show on the air just because of that. This was not a show that was costing them a ton of money. This is a show that would more than likely have made them money, even if not a lot. And it was critically-acclaimed, and they still chose to cancel it because of the bottom line. They’re obviously in it for the money. So if you let them know you’re not happy with what they did, that can’t do anything but help.
Shopping ‘Southland’ | Company Town | Los Angeles Times
This is a travesty
Shopping ‘Southland’ | Company Town | Los Angeles Times
Shopping ‘Southland’
October 9, 2009 | 2:36 pmSo the folks behind the recently canceled “Southland” are working the phones today, hitting up every cable network they can think of that might be interested in the cop drama.
First on everyone’s list for taking the departed NBC drama is TNT. For starters, “Southland” is produced by Warner Bros., which like TNT is owned by Time Warner, so there is a family connection. Second, while “The Closer” is still going gangbusters for TNT, the network recently lost “Saving Grace,” and its other dramas, including “Dark Blue,” have not been setting the world on fire.
SOUTHLAND While “Southland” certainly would be a good fit on TNT, it remains to be seen if the network would want to buy someone else’s castoff. With six episodes of “Southland” already in the can, TNT may be able to negotiate a decent price, and since Warner Bros. will already be getting paid for those shows by NBC, it might be willing to cut a slight break on the license fee. Then, if the show were a success for TNT, it could ask for more money. NBC was paying about $1.5 million per episode for the show, people close to the production say. That is not a huge fee for a cash cow like TNT.
Another likely network would be A&E. However, we’re told A&E has already passed. And A&E is partially owned by NBC, so that might have been a problem politically even if it did want it. USA Network is totally owned by NBC and “Southland” is much too dark for them, so that’s out.
That brings us to AMC, home of “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” They like to spend money there, but everyone thinks they are the new HBO, so they might not want to sully their image with a show from a (cough) broadcast network.
FX already has a ton of programming, and while “Southland” may be gritty (there’s that word again) for NBC, it’s “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” for FX.
People will say it should go on HBO or Showtime, but it’s not nearly quirky enough.
So unless Food Network or The Weather Channel (whoops, that’s NBC again) want to go in a completely different direction, the only real candidate out there may be TNT.
Let’s see if blood is thicker than money.
– Joe Flint
Comcast to monitor and inform subscribers when their PC is infected – Tech Products & Geek News | Geek.com
Filed under: Commentary, In case you missed it, News
This can’t be a good thing…
Comcast to monitor and inform subscribers when their PC is infected
Oct. 9, 2009 (9:01 am) By: Matthew HumphriesComcast alert
One of the biggest problems with an infected PC is that unless the user of that PC notices or realizes their machine is infected there is little that can be done about it. The emphasis is on the user to secure and monitor their own machine and therefore malware writers go to great lengths to ensure their infections remain silent and unnoticeable.
Comcast has decided it is going to take action and aid its subscribers by informing them if a machine is suspected of being compromised. It will do this by regularly monitoring the network activities of individual connections looking for the common signs of a machine being used as part of a botnet, for example. If such a machine is identified then a warning will be sent to that user as a service notice stating the following:
Comcast has detected that there may be a virus on your computer(s). For more information on how to clean your computer(s), please visit the Comcast Anti-Virus Center.
A security center link then takes that user to a page where they can find tools to clean up their machine. The message, as seen in the image above, is displayed on the Comcast website and a follow-up e-mail is sent, but other than that the company will not be contacting the user directly, so this warning can be ignored. No further action will be taken if the user doesn’t do anything, as this is just meant to be a helpful hint rather than the start of a process to get them running virus free.
Comcast has made it clear that the monitoring involved will remain anonymous with no data stored or looked at during the process. In order to determine what classes as a potential infection Comcast will employ independent help such as known infected IP lists from the likes of Spamhaus as well as its own analysis system. At worst a user may get to see one of these messages as a false positive. At best users who had no idea they were infected take action and clean up their machine.
Read more at DSLReports.com and a detailed description of the monitoring posted by Comcast on the DSLReports.com forums
Matthew’s Opinion
Malware writers are very good at covering their tracks and can make an infected PC act as normal while in the background it works as part of a botnet helping to spread spam. Most users wouldn’t even know their machine has been compromised and unless they run security checks how will they ever know? Some malware even blocks users going to security sites in an attempt to stop the compromise ever being found.
With that in mind this monitoring by Comcast should be welcomed. It is an anonymous check that just looks for the common signs of an infection and then its an unintrusive warning with no further intervention. You can’t get much more hands-off while still being helpful and it’s an important action to take. Spam levels are so high because there are so many machines out there on botnets pumping the stuff out to inboxes. Unless those PCs are cleaned up the spam will continue to flow and unless users know their machines are infected this will never change.
I’d argue Comcast should go further than just the message on a website and an e-mail. Why not phone up that subscriber and inform them that they may have an infected machine. Nine times out of ten I bet the response is one of “what do I do?” at which point they can be helped. A message or e-mail on the other hand may get overlooked or looked at with suspicion as a possible scam.
What do you think? Is Comcast’s idea one that should be copied across all ISPs? Should it go further than just a warning message on a website?
Bloggers Must Disclose Payments for Reviews – New York Times
Bloggers Must Disclose Payments for Reviews
Published: October 5, 2009
Filed at 2:48 p.m. ET
The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.
The FTC said Monday its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final Web guidelines, which had been expected. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines up to $11,000 per violation. Bloggers or advertisers also could face injunctions and be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from inappropriate product reviews.
The commission stopped short of specifying how bloggers must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC’s advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be ”clear and conspicuous,” no matter what form it will take.
Bloggers have long praised or panned products and services online. But what some consumers might not know is that many companies pay reviewers for their write-ups or give them free products such as toys or computers or trips to Disneyland. In contrast, at traditional journalism outlets, products borrowed for reviews generally have to be returned.
Before the FTC gave notice last November it was going to regulate such endorsements, blogs varied in the level of disclosures about these potential conflicts of interest.
The FTC’s proposal made many bloggers anxious. They said the scrutiny would make them nervous about posting even innocent comments.
To placate such fears, Cleland said the FTC will more likely go after an advertiser instead of a blogger for violations. The exception would be a blogger who runs a ‘’substantial” operation that violates FTC rules and already received a warning, he said.
Existing FTC rules already banned deceptive and unfair business practices. The final guidelines aim to clarify the law for the vast world of blogging. Not since 1980 had the commission revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.
Cleland said a blogger who receives a freebie without the advertiser knowing would not violate FTC guidelines. For example, someone who gets a free bag of dog food as part of a promotion from a pet shop wouldn’t violate FTC guidelines if he writes about the product on his blog.
Blogger Linsey Krolik said she’s always disclosed any freebies she’s received on products she writes about, but has stepped up her efforts since last fall. She said she adds a notice at the end of a post, ”very clear in italics or bold or something — this is the deal. It’s not kind of buried.”
In Wake of Disney-Marvel Deal, Cartoonist’s Heirs Seek to Reclaim Rights – Media Decoder Blog – NYTimes.com
Filed under: Disney, From the Blogverse, Marvel Comics, News
September 20, 2009, 3:37 pm
In Wake of Disney-Marvel Deal, Cartoonist’s Heirs Seek to Reclaim Rights
By Michael Cieply and Brooks BarnesThe Walt Disney Company’s proposed $4 billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment may come with a headache: a brand-new superhero copyright dispute.
Heirs to the comic-book artist Jack Kirby, who has been credited as the co-creator of characters and stories behind Marvel mainstays like the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four,” among many others, last week sent 45 notices of copyright termination to Marvel, Disney, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and others who have been making films and other forms of entertainment based on the characters.
The legal notices expressed an intent to regain copyrights to some creations as early as 2014, according to a statement from Toberoff & Associates, a Los Angeles firm that helped win a court ruling last year returning a share of the copyright in Superman to heirs of the character’s co-creator, Jerome Siegel.
Reached by telephone on Sunday, Mr. Toberoff declined to elaborate on the statement. A spokeswoman for Marvel had no immediate comment. Disney said in a statement, “The notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to 10 years from now, and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition.” Fox, Sony, Paramount and Universal had no comment.
Marvel shareholders must still approve the sale of the company to Disney, which is already battling criticism from some Wall Street analysts that Marvel comes with too messy an array of rights agreements. The worry is that Disney will have a hard time immediately executing a coordinated exploitation of Marvel’s various brands.
Sony has the film rights to Spider-Man in perpetuity, for instance, while Fox has the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Paramount has a distribution agreement for Marvel’s next few self-produced movies, including a second “Iron Man” film. Meanwhile, Hasbro has certain toy rights and Universal holds Florida theme park rights to Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, among other characters.
Mr. Kirby, who died in 1994, worked with the writer-editor Stan Lee to create many of the characters that in the last decade have become some of the most valuable in a Hollywood that hungers for super-heroes. Mr. Kirby was involved with “The Incredible Hulk,” “The Mighty Thor,” “Iron Man,” “Spider-Man,” and “The Avengers,” among others.
The window for serving notice of termination on the oldest of the properties opened several years ago, and will remain open for some time under the law. But Disney’s announced purchase gives a new reason for anyone with claims on Marvel to stake out a position.
Under copyright law, the author or his heirs can begin a process to regain copyrights a certain period of years after the original grant. If Mr. Kirby’s four children were to gain the copyright to a co-created character, they might become entitled to a share of profits from films or other properties using it. They might also find themselves able to sell rights to certain characters independently of Marvel, Disney, or the various studios that have licensed the Marvel properties for their hit films.
In July, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that Warner Brothers and its DC Comics unit had not violated rights of the Siegel heirs in handling internal transactions related to Superman, but an earlier ruling had already granted the heirs a return of their share in the copyright. In the late 1990s, Mr. Toberoff represented a television writer, Gilbert Ralston, who sued Warner over the rights to the film “Wild, Wild West.” The suit was ultimately settled.
Copyright issues have become increasingly difficult for Hollywood, as it continues to trade on characters and stories that were created decades ago, but are now subject to deadlines and expiration dates under federal copyright law.
CNN Responds to Fox Ads: “You Lie” – Today’s News: Our Take | TVGuide.com
Not surprised..
CNN Responds to Fox Ads: “You Lie” – Today’s News: Our Take | TVGuide.com
CNN Responds to Fox Ads: “You Lie”CNN anchor Rick Sanchez says Fox News flat-out lied in an ad accusing its cable rivals of not covering a political protest.
In Friday’s Washington Post, Fox News took out a full-page ad noting its coverage of the Sept. 12 Tea Party, in which protesters across the nation rallied against more government spending. “How did ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN miss this?” the ad asked.
Sanchez said on Friday that the ad is false, showing video proof that CNN was there covering the action.
“The bottom line is we do cover the news and we did extensively cover this event,” said Sanchez. “We didn’t promote the event. That’s not what real news organizations are supposed to do. We covered the event.”
Other networks, including those listed in the ad, were also in attendance at the Tea Party, providing live coverage of the tens of thousands of protesters in D.C. last Saturday. Sanchez said Fox News’ ad was tantamount to serious disrespect, adding, “You know, that’s an offense to myself and to my colleagues, who risk their lives for our viewers in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world to bring the news. You’re actually telling people that we didn’t cover a rally on Washington.”
Fox News VP of Marketing, Michael Tammero, stands by Fox’s criticism of the other networks’ coverage. “Generally speaking, it’s fair to say that from the tea party movement … to Acorn … to the march on 9/12, the networks either ignored the story, marginalized it or misrepresented the significance of it altogether.”
Sanchez said that Fox News has not responded to a request for an apology. “Let me address the Fox News network now perhaps the most current way that I can, by quoting somebody who recently used a very pithy phrase — two words. It’s all I need — you lie,” added Sanchez.
